


Never Meant To...

by WinchesterDaeva, xtremeroswellian



Series: Amsterdam [1]
Category: Jericho (US 2006)
Genre: AU Rogue River, F/M, Family Feels, Friendship, Heather isn't a nurse, Jake Green is stubborn, hurt Jake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23451871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinchesterDaeva/pseuds/WinchesterDaeva, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: When Jake surfaced once more to consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that he was on his stomach. The second thing he noticed was the fiery pain and heat traveling through his body.
Relationships: Heather Lisinski & Emily Sullivan, Jake Green/Emily Sullivan (past), Jake Green/Heather Lisinski
Series: Amsterdam [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752682
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was co-written with user WinchesterDaeva, but for some reason it won't let me add her as a co-author/creator. Just know I couldn't have written this without her and if we figure out how to fix the issue, I'll add her.

Heather Lisinski stood on the front porch of the Green house, chewing on her lower lip as she waited for someone to answer the door. Her heart beat quickly in her chest. Just as she was about to give up and leave, figuring the family had gone to the Med Center, the door opened a little, startling her.

"Didn't expect to see you back here," Jake Green's figure appeared in the doorway.

She couldn't quite meet his eyes. Less than 24 hours before she'd practically thrown herself at him. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now it just made her feel really awkward. "Well, I came to see how your dad was doing."

He took a slow breath. "Well, he still hasn't woken up but April says he's doing better."

"Good. That's good." She noticed he didn't open the door any more than he had to.

He nodded a little.

"I guess...I should just...be going," she said awkwardly.

Jake licked his dry lips and swallowed, switching legs and gripping the side of the door a little harder than needed. "Yeah...I guess."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she took in the almost imperceptible movement. "Jake? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Yeah, it's a long trip to Rogue River these days," she agreed, studying him for a moment.

"Yeah. Long it is."

"Right," Heather murmured. "Well, I'll...see you around."

He smiled slightly. "See you around."

She turned to go, feeling uneasy.

As Jake pulled away to shut the door, he stumbled slightly, catching himself on the doorway.

She heard a thud, followed by a barely audible curse and turned around, alarmed to see a look of pain on his face. She quickly moved toward him once more, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm.

He looked up at her. "Sorry...got a little dizzy there."

Heather looked at him in concern. "I think that's a sign you need to sleep."

He let out a breathy laugh. "Guess so."

"Come on. Let me help you to the couch."

"Okay," he said quietly.

She offered him a very small smile and was surprised when he draped an arm around her shoulders. "Where is everyone?" she asked as she guided him over to the sofa.

"At the Medical Center with my dad. I told them I'd hold down the fort here."

"Well, I hope by holding down the fort you meant get some much-needed rest."

He shrugged slightly. "We'll go with that, yeah."

Heather helped him sit down, noticing the wince he tried unsuccessfully to suppress.

Leaning back slowly, he closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Thanks."

"Sure," she said softly, taking note of how pale he was.

"So, thanks for yesterday."

"Yesterday?" She shook her head a little.

He nodded. "Making the ice..."

Her cheeks flushed. "Right. No problem."

"That was a pretty cool."

"One of my students did a science fair project last year. I'd actually forgotten all about it until your mother mentioned she couldn't make ice and then I almost screwed the whole thing up because I forgot you couldn't use plastic bowls because plastic is an insulator..." She trailed off.

Smiling slightly, he opened one eye. "Anyone told you that you ramble?"

She blushed again. "Yes."

"Kinda cute," he mumbled.

"Okay," she said under her breath, swallowing hard. "You should sleep."

"Hmm...yeah..."

Heather watched as he shut his eyes and she resisted the urge to lean over and kiss his forehead before she stood up. She started to head toward the door quietly, but that uneasy feeling tugged at her and she turned to look at him once more.

Shifting, he turned his body slightly away from her, wincing again.

She inhaled sharply at the dark stain on the back of his jacket. "Jake."

"What?" Came the muffled reply.

Moving toward him once more, she sat down again, this time on the other side of him. "You're bleeding."

"That's nice..."

Startled at his almost incoherent words, she reached up and felt his forehead. "Jake, you're burning up."

He turned away from her hand. "Lemme sleep."

Her heart began to beat quickly in her chest and she let her hand drop to rest on his arm. "Yeah, you sleep," she whispered.

"'kay."

She listened as his breathing evened out within moments, though the ragged quality frightened her. Swallowing hard, she hesitantly slid the back of his jacket and shirt up, sucking in breath at the sight of the gaping wound. "Oh God."

* * *

When Jake surfaced once more to consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that he was on his stomach. The second thing he noticed was the fiery pain and heat traveling through his body.

Though her hands trembled, Heather was so focused on the task at hand, she didn't even realize he'd woken as she used a sharp pair of scissors to cut away his shirt and hoodie jacket.

He grunted as the fabric pulled away from the dried blood around the wound.

"Sorry, sorry," she whispered, letting the material fall away and setting the scissors down on the table beside the sofa.

"What...are you doing?"

"I have to get the bleeding stopped," she answered, reaching out and picking up a wad of gauze she'd found in the upstairs bathroom.

He frowned. "Bleeding? What--" he tried to push himself up.

"Don't!" Her voice raised in alarm. "Don't move! Just...hold still."

"Heather...what's going on?"

"Jake, you've been shot."

"No...I mighta gotten clipped but--"

"Trust me, you've been shot." Her voice wavered a little. "You gotta hold still so I can stop the bleeding and then I'm gonna go find April."

He shook his head. "No April. She's got enough to worry about."

"Jake, this is serious!"

"Doesn't feel like it," he turned his head to look at her.

"Well, it is," she responded, gently pressing the gauze against the wound.

He hissed as she pressed down, cussing softly.

She swallowed hard, murmuring another apology. "This is gonna sound weird, but there isn't a hole in your chest, is there?"

He blinked. "Yeah...that does sound weird."

"Because if there isn't, it means there's a bullet still inside you."

"Huh," his eyes began to close.

"Stay awake," she said, trying to quell the panic she felt rising within her.

"M'sleepy.'

She honestly didn't know if it would be best for him to go to sleep or stay awake at that point. She tried to think back to her first aid class in college, but she was pretty sure they didn't teach first aid techniques for gunshot victims. "Okay, just hold on," she whispered, fastening the gauze to the wound with some medical tape.

He moaned softly at the pressure now on the wound. "Easy there," he whispered.

"I'm sorry. It's gotta be firm or it won't stop the bleeding." She drew in a shaky breath. "I'll be back."

"Okay."

Heather rose to her feet, quickly heading for the door.

"Heather," he called out.

"What?"

"Don't...tell anyone. Especially my mom."

"Jake, you need help! That makeshift bandage isn't going to hold forever."

Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the flare of pain that went through him. "They have my dad to worry about."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "Your dad's gonna be fine. Right now you're a little worse off than he is."

"I'll be fine."

"You're crazy."

"Thanks."

"Fine, if you don't want me to get April, I'm at least gonna find another doctor. Just...stay put."

He wrapped an arm around his middle and stood slowly. "No."

"Do you have a death wish?"

Jake considered the comment for a moment.

Heather stared at him, her stomach tightening.

"Not a death wish..." he said slowly. "A wish to not cause anymore worry in this town."

"Does that extend to everyone in the town?"

"Inside the town and outside."

"I'm part of the town, too." Her voice was quiet.

"I'm sorry Heather," he said, turning away from her.

She swallowed hard, shutting her eyes and racking her brain to come up with some kind of a plan. "Fine. Then...I'm staying here. And if you get worse, I don't care what you say, I'm going to go get help."

He sighed. "Fine. How long have I been out?"

"Not long. Just a few minutes."

"Okay..." he thought for a minute. "We need to go to the Medical Center...Told my mom I'd come."

"Jake, you shouldn't even be off that couch."

"Need to keep up appearances."

She gave him a pained look. "Fine, but we're not walking there. It's too far."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"I brought Charlotte. I'll drive." She bit her lip, thinking.

He held up a hand. "Hold on. I need to go change..."

She looked up the long staircase. "I'll get you something to wear. Uh, which room is it?" She started for the steps.

He stopped her. "I'll go."

"It's a lot of stairs--"

"That I'll be able to climb just fine."

She grimaced as she watched him slowly head up. She wondered what the hell she'd gotten herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Heather kept casting worried, side-long glances at Jake as they walked slowly down the hall to where his father was. The more she thought about it, the more she decided that coming to the med center had been a bad idea. God knew hospitals were the worst place to catch illnesses when one's immune system was already weakened, and Jake's was definitely compromised from the bullet wound.

Feeling her gaze on him, Jake cocked his head to the side. "I promise I won't fall over and die."

She flinched a little. "Yeah, well you're not very good at keeping promises," she grumbled.

"Well if you'd rather me die right here, I could oblige."

"So not funny."

He shrugged. "Just trying to not keep my promise."

She shot him a look, swallowing hard when she spotted Gail sipping a cup of water outside in the hall a few doors down.

Jake reached her first. "Hey."

"Jake." Gail smiled at him, worry obvious in her eyes. She shifted her gaze to Heather. "Hello, again."

"Hi, Mrs. Green," Heather said softly. "How's he doing?"

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, peering into the hospital room where her husband lay in one of the beds, April and Eric with him. "Better. But he's still not 100%."

"He woken up yet?" Jake asked quietly.

Gail nodded slightly. "Yeah, he's awake now. Why don't we go in and see him?"

He hesitated, glancing at Heather.

"I'm just gonna..." She motioned vaguely down the hall.

He nodded. "Okay."

Taking a deep breath and ignoring her instincts, she headed away and did her best not to glance back.

* * *

Gail sat at her husband's bedside, cradling his hand in both of hers. "Stop worrying about this town for five minutes and worry about getting better, Johnston."

"Gail, I can't stay in this bed anymore when the town needs me!"

"Well, that's exactly what you're going to do, until April says it's all right for you to go home again." She gave him a warning look.

He went to open his mouth to retort but he decided against it and shut it once more, folding his arms.

April coughed to suppress a laugh at their bickering, casting a glance at her own husband. The smile slipped a little as she noted his distant appearance. "Well, I should get back to checking on my other patients. You behave, Dad." She winked at him and headed for the door.

"I would if you'd let me out of here," he called out to her as Jake finally stopped lingering in the doorway and stepped farther into the room.

Gail shook her head good-naturedly. "Look who's here."

Jake smiled. "Hey dad."

Johnston glanced at him. "Would you tell them I'm fine?"

He shook his head. "Don't need to face the wrath of Mom, thanks."

He scowled and looked back at Gail, who smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Would one of you at least tell me what's going on out there?"

"Eric's handling everything," Jake reassured him.

Eric looked up at the sound of his name, looking vaguely surprised.

Johnston heaved a sigh and reluctantly sat back against the pillows once more.

Jake gave him a look before turning back to his parents. "Besides, you just need a few days and you'll be fine."

"Few days," he grumbled, causing Gail to chuckle softly.

"You pout worse than a child sometimes," she admonished him.

Jake shook his head. "Oh boy."

Gail glanced at him and started to respond when she caught sight of movement at the door. She smiled softly at Heather, then shifted her gaze to Jake.

He turned slightly. "Hey again."

"Sorry," she said quickly, backing up from the doorway a little.

"Don't be sorry," he smiled a little. "Come in."

"No, really. I don't wanna intrude on your family time."

Gail shook her head. "Sweetheart, after what you did for us yesterday, you *are* family. Come in."

Feeling a little woozy, Jake moved away from the doorway and lowered himself slowly into a chair beside his father.

Heather stepped inside hesitantly, but lingered just inside the door frame. "How are you feeling, Mayor?"

"Just fine," he said slowly, glaring pointedly at Gail and Jake.

"Johnston thinks because his fever went from 103 to 101, he's well enough to go back to work," Gail told her.

"Oh. Well, hospitals aren't exactly my idea of a good time, either," she admitted, glancing at him in sympathy.

"I'm glad *someone* understands," he grumbled.

She bit her lower lip, glancing at Jake with worried eyes.

Leaning forward and trying to hide a wince, Jake put his hands on the bed. "Well Dad, just a couple of days and you'll be out of here...in the meantime--"

"In the meantime Eric is busy doing my job."

"Which is fine," he added. "And while he does that..."

Gail glanced at him curiously. "What is it, Jake?"

"I'm going over to Heather's."

Her eyebrows furrowed a little. "Oh. Is everything all right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. But Heather's alone at her place so I want to make sure she stays safe."

"Oh, of course." Gail smiled and glanced at Heather, whose eyes were wide. "Well, if it'd be easier, she could always come and stay with us."

If possible, Heather's eyes widened even more and she shot Jake a 'what the hell were you thinking' look. "No, that's really...uh, not necessary. I'm...it's fine. Really."

"You probably are, but I want to be sure," Jake said, giving her a look. "She'll probably be more comfortable at her own house, Mom."

"I'm sure that's true." Gail raised an eyebrow and looked between the two of them with interest, curiosity clear on her face.

Jake cleared his throat. "We should probably get going, Dad needs rest."

Johnston scowled at him. "All I've done for a week is rest."

"And you're going to rest even more," Gail turned back to her husband, a stern look on her face.

Johnston made a face, but gave up the argument for the time being, casting a glance at Jake, then at Heather. "He gives you any trouble, you tell me."

Jake sighed. "I'm not going to give her any trouble."

Heather smiled a bit at Johnston, then turned and headed out of the room.

"See you," he said quietly to his parents before following Heather out of the room.

She waited until they were far enough down the hall that they weren't in earshot of his parents before she turned to look at Jake. "What the heck were you thinking?"

He glanced at her. "What? I wasn't exactly lying..."

"Except for the whole of everything you said."

"It's for a few days."

She shook her head a little. "For what..." Her voice trailed off as she realized his real reasons behind wanting to stay with her. "This is crazy."

"You won't even know I'm there," he said.

"Jake, I'm not a doctor," she whispered, stepping closer to him as a couple of nurses rushed down the hall. "I'm not even a nurse!"

"Look, I'm not asking you to do anything except give me cover for a few days," he hissed back.

Heather looked at him, a pained expression on her face. Biting her lower lip once more, she glanced away, then back at him. "Fine."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," she mumbled, heading for the exit.


	3. Chapter 3

The ride over to Heather's house was almost unbearable for Jake as it seemed like she purposely found every rut in the road to go over. Once they reached her house, he stumbled out of the old truck and headed slowly for the door.

"Easy," she said, quickly catching up to him and slipping an arm around his own as she pulled out her key and unlocked the door.

"Thanks," he grunted, leaning against her as she led him into the house.

Heather swallowed hard, shaking her head when he started to move toward the sofa. "Forget it, you're taking my bed."

"I'm fine on the couch," he protested.

"My house, my rules," she responded, guiding him down the hall toward her room.

He rolled his eyes, "Pushy."

"I supervise third graders. I have to be," she said with a faint smile. She opened her bedroom door and led him to the bed, her eyes widening as she spotted her black bra laying on the comforter. Her cheeks turned bright pink as she quickly snatched it off the bed and bounded over to the dresser, stuffing it inside.

He let out a shaky chuckle as he lowered himself onto her bed. "Nice."

She grimaced at the teasing tone of his voice, her cheeks still flushed. "More like mortifying," she muttered.

"Whatever," he muttered back, laying down.

She drew in a breath and moved to his side, ignoring the way her stomach tightened at the sight of him in her bed. That wasn't something she figured she'd ever actually see. Of course, these weren't the circumstances she'd hoped for, either. Tucking some hair behind her ear, she reached out and carefully pulled the navy blue comforter up over him.

He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "I'll be out of here in a few days..."

"Just...focus on not dying," she said nervously. She glanced over her shoulder to the fireplace. "I'm gonna...get some wood and build a fire. It's freezing in here."

"'kay."

She looked down at him, realizing he was already about half-asleep. "Rest," she said, almost inaudibly. She drew in a breath and headed outside to retrieve some wood from behind the house, her heart sinking when she saw it was gone. Two days ago she'd had a tall pile ready to go. Someone had stolen it. "Great."

* * *

By the time Heather returned from the woods behind her house, her lips were almost blue. In the last hour it had dropped at least twenty degrees. She clutched an armful of wood in her shaking hands and stumbled into her house, shivering violently. She made her way down the hall quickly, dumping the wood in the fireplace.

The noise startled Jake awake and he groaned at the pain that shot through him. Sitting up slowly, shivers wracking his body, he looked at her. "W-what's going on?"

"It's just me," she said through chattering teeth.

"Need help?" He huffed, moving to get out of bed.

"No, stay in bed," she said quickly.

He nodded slightly and leaned against the headboard. "Freezing in here."

"I know. I'm working on it," Heather said, giving him an apologetic look. "Someone stole my firewood. I had to go get more."

"Great."

She set about building the fire, her hands numb from the cold. Finally she tossed a match onto the firewood, letting out a sigh of relief as it caught fire immediately.

Jake let out a long breath as he heard the crackling of the fire. "Thank God."

Heather slowly rose to her feet, still shivering. She moved to the closet and pulled down her extra blankets from the top shelf, then headed over to the bed, spreading them out over Jake.

"Y-you need these more than I do."

"I'm not the one nursing a gunshot wound," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "You don't need to freeze to death."

"I won't." She pulled the covers up to his chin.

"Promise?"

She glanced up at him for a second. "Promise."

"Good," he whispered.

Heather slowly moved away from the bed. "I'm gonna get you some water."

Reaching out, he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Stay."

Her eyebrows furrowed a little.

"You need to get warm first."

"I'll be right back," she said, glancing down at their hands. "I've got water in the kitchen."

"Heather."

"What?"

"Stay. Just for a few minutes."

"Are you all right?" Concern tinged her voice and she moved closer to him.

"M'fine...just...fine," his voice became faint.

Biting her lip, she reached out and touched his forehead. He was almost as cold as she was. "Hey, stay awake."

"Tired."

"I know, but I think you might be hypothermic and I need you to stay awake, okay?"

He forced his eyes open and glanced at her. "Okay."

She offered him a smile. "Good."

After a few minutes of silence, he shifted. "It's still cold."

"I know. I'm sorry. This house is old and drafty. But the fire should start helping soon. I'll go see if I can find anymore blankets in the closet in the other room." She headed for the door.

"Hurry," he mumbled.

She returned a moment later, carrying an afghan. She draped it over him, on top of the other blankets.

"Hey, come under here with me," he whispered once she returned.

Heather looked at him, startled. "What?"

"Body heat," he responded.

"Oh." She chewed her lower lip, hesitating only a moment before sliding under the blankets beside him.

Shifting so she could get comfortable, he turned her head to her. "There. Now you won't freeze."

"I'm a little more worried about you," she admitted.

"Told you, I'll be fine."

She gave him a look that clearly said she wasn't convinced, hesitantly shifting a little closer to him. Her teeth chattered involuntarily.

"You need more of these than I do," he motioned to the mountain of blankets mostly covering him.

"I'm fine." She shut her eyes.

"Your teeth were chattering."

"I was outside for two hours chopping wood."

"Then take these."

"We'll share them." She wasn't sure where that bright idea had come from but she swallowed hard as he nodded his agreement and pulled her even closer, dragging the blankets to cover them both.

Once the blankets settled, Jake's eyes slowly began drifting shut.

Her head resting against his shoulder, Heather drifted off to sleep within moments.


	4. Chapter 4

When Heather woke an hour later, she was no longer shivering. She was warm and comfortable, and wrapped in Jake's arms. A sleepy smile touched her face, then quickly disappeared as she realized he'd fallen asleep, as well. She reached up and touched his cheek, swallowing hard when she felt how warm his skin was. Much too warm. She sat up quickly, pulling some of the covers off him. As she did so, she spotted a growing dark stain on the blanket beneath him. Blood.

The color drained from her face. "Jake. Jake, wake up."

He groaned, shifting his head away from the noise that was preventing him from the bliss that unconsciousness provided.

Panic threatened to take hold of her, but she forced herself to remain calm, quickly moving to the other side of the bed and sliding his shirt up. "God," she whispered, heading into her bathroom and getting the supplies she'd stuffed in her pockets from the med center. She gently peeled off the tape and gauze covering his wound and discarded it into the garbage can.

When the cold air hit his heated skin, Jake sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes snapping open. "Heather...w-what's going on?"

"You're bleeding," she said grimly.

"Damn," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Try to stay still, okay?" She gently touched his arm.

"Okay."

Heather focused her attention on cleansing the wound with peroxide and clean gauze, then kept her hand pressed against the area to try and stop the bleeding. She felt him wince and she shut her eyes. "So tell me about yourself."

He let out a pained breath. "Not...much to tell."

"Right." A grin twisted her lips. "That's like saying there's nothing to the Seven Wonders of the World."

He shrugged. "Well..."

"Oh come on. I know you've got some stories to tell. You disappear from Jericho for five years and come back as the town hero."

He shuddered at the thought of those five years away. "I don't...want to...talk about it."

Heather's smile slipped and she nodded. "Okay."

"Tell me...about you."

"I'm trying to keep you awake, not put you to sleep."

"Talk, Heather."

"Look, I'm not really...I'm not a very interesting person." She shrugged, switching the gauze and continuing to keep pressure on his wound.

He winced at the pressure. "Mm...sleep sounds...good then."

She sighed in frustration. "What do you wanna know?"

"Why'd you come to...Jericho?"

She was silent for a moment. "New Bern never really felt like home, I guess."

He frowned. "And...here does?"

"It's a nice town," she said softly. "Everyone here's been really good to me."

"That's good..." His eyes began to slide shut again.

"But...also because I didn't know anyone here."

"Trying to...get away from...something?"

Heather grimaced. "Yeah. My dad."

"Oh."

"He's a minister." She relaxed a bit as she realized the blood flow had slowed down somewhat.

"Hmm...so he wanted you to love...God and nothing else?"

She glanced at him to see if he was making fun of her, but realized he was just trying to keep her talking. "Something like that. He was...pretty strict."

"That sucks," he muttered.

"I think he was just...trying to protect me."

"From the world."

She nodded a little. "It got worse after my mom died. I'd just turned sixteen, and I was an only child. It scared him. He didn't really know what to do with me."

"I'm sorry."

Heather shrugged. "It's the past."

"Past always has an effect on the future."

She considered his words momentarily. "I think the present has a little more effect on the future at this point."

"If you say so..." His voice faded a little.

She discarded the bloodied gauze, then carefully taped new gauze to the wound. "Hey, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you...come back here because of Emily?"

"Dunno," he opened his eyes and fixed a glassy stare on her.

Heather avoided his gaze. "Right. Sorry, I shouldn't have...it's none of my business. Sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me and I say things before I have a chance to think them through."

"You're rambling again," he said quietly, smiling.

"I do that when I'm nervous," she confessed.

"I noticed."

"I think I've got the bleeding stopped again. For now."

"That's good..." he licked his dry lips. "Hope it stays that way."

"Me too," she whispered, swallowing hard.

"You should get some sleep..."

Heather shook her head a little. "I already napped. But I am going to go fix you something to eat. Course all I have is chicken broth...but under the circumstances that's probably for the best." She rose to her feet.

"Yeah...probably," he mumbled, watching her movements intently.

"You need anything else?" she asked, pausing in the door and turning to face him again, surprised when she realized he was staring at her. "Another pillow? A doctor?" she asked hopefully.

He smirked. "Tricky, but no."

"Had to try." She disappeared into the hallway.

When she left, Jake slowly turned himself onto his back again and stared up at the ceiling, knowing that he probably was in trouble. The pain radiating through him now confirmed that. But he didn't need anyone to worry about him, he'd get through this. Or at least, he hoped he would.

* * *

The next time Jake was conscious, he immediately shot up, a deep, wet cough taking over him, making his entire body shake.

Heather jerked her head up from the chair where she was curled up, reading. Her face paled at the sight of the blood spewing from his mouth. "Oh God." She scrambled from the chair and moved to the bed, eyes wide.

His arms moved to cradle his middle as the coughing continued. He could barely take a breath before the coughing continued.

"Jake!" She winced, hurrying into the bathroom and retrieving a cool washcloth. She moved to his side once more and gently pressed it to his forehead.

The coughing slowly resided and he lay back, taking shallow breaths, eyes closed.

She gently wiped his mouth off, grimacing at the sight of the crimson spots. "God," she whispered.

"Sorry," he said, voice hoarse.

"Jake, this is bad."

"Could be...worse."

"You're not getting better."

He turned his head away from her. "I know," he said inaudibly.

Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back, rising to her feet.

"W-where are you...going?"

"To the Med Center."

"You can't."

"Yes, I can, and I am," she said quietly, heading for the door.

"Heather-"

"Jake, you just coughed up *blood.* You've been shot, and I don't know what else to do, but I can't sit here and watch you die!"

He swallowed, grimacing at the metallic taste of blood. "I don't need to be worried about."

"Well, it's too late for that."

He was about to say more when suddenly the breath caught in his throat. When he tried to pull in air, he only got a little into his lungs. Hitting his head against the pillow, he tried again to get air into his suddenly starved lungs.

"Jake?" She turned to look at him, fear clutching at her.

"C-can't..." he clutched at the sheets. "Breathe..."

The air left her lungs in a rush as she quickly moved to his side once more. "Turn onto your side," she said, gently rolling him to the left.

He helped her as much as he could. Once on his side, the air came easier, but not much.

"Don't panic. You're gonna be okay," she whispered, hoping to God she was right. She knelt behind him on the bed, one hand resting on his arm.

"Go," he whispered.

Heather swallowed hard. "I'll be back as quick as I can. Don't move, Jake. Just...just hang on." She slid off the bed and bolted to the door in a dead run.

When she pulled the door open, however, Emily was standing on the other side, her arm half-raised as if she was about to knock. "Heather."

"Jake's in the bedroom, go stay with him," she said, her voice frightened as she darted past her friend and out the door.

She turned, worry knotting her stomach at Heather's tone. "Heather wait! What's going on?"

She didn't stop, fumbling to get her keys out of her jeans' pocket. She yanked Charlotte's driver's side door open and hoisted herself into the seat, shoving the key into the ignition and starting the engine. She didn't even give it a second to warm up before throwing it into reverse and peeling out of the driveway, praying she wouldn't be too late.

Emily stared after Heather for a moment, then turned and headed down the hallway to her friend's bedroom. She wasn't prepared for the sight that faced her: Jake Green curled into fetal position, blood staining the blankets and his shirt. "Oh God. Jake!"

Jake's fevered eyes darted to her, only acknowledging her that way, trying to focus on breathing.

She moved to his side and pressed a hand to his cheek. He was burning up. A million questions darted through her mind, none of which reached her lips. She picked up the cool, blood-stained washrag that lay beside him and moved to the bathroom, rinsing it quickly before laying it on his head. "It's okay. Heather went to get help."

He closed his eyes, nodding slightly. "G-good."

"What happened to you?" she whispered, shaking her head a little.

"Shot..."

Emily's eyes widened a little more. "What?" She quickly pulled his shirt up, sucking in a breath when she saw the bloodied bandage. "Oh, Jake. When?"

"Rogue...River..."

"Jake, that was four days ago," she said, shocked. "What..."

"D-didn't...think...it was...that bad."

She shut her eyes, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You're an idiot, Jake."

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Shh. Stay quiet and still. Just focus on breathing."

Nodding, his eyes slid shut slowly slid shut, another breathy "Sorry." passing over his lips.

"Just breathe," she said again, touching his face.

He pulled in a last shuddering breath, followed by nothing. Jake Green never exhaled.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Heather three minutes to get to the med center from her house, two minutes to locate April, and two and a half to get back to her house. "Hurry!" she commanded, throwing the truck into park and bolting toward her front door.

April dashed after Heather, lugging her medical box with her and into the house.

"Emily!" Her voice was panicked as she rushed into her room to find her friend cradling Jake's head in her lap, tears running down her face. She froze in the door. "What--"

"H-he's not breathing," she sobbed.

"Move," April ordered, striding across the room and to the bed. She pressed her ear against Jake's chest, listening for a heartbeat. "He's got a pulse, but it's weak. I have to start CPR."

Emily nodded, extracting herself from under Jake's still form. "Please...don't let him die."

"Breathe, Jake," April said as began to breathe into his mouth. "Emily, get in my bag and get the ambu bag!"

Emily nodded, quickly getting the ambu bag. "Now what?" She asked, voice shaky.

"Monitor his pulse," she said, glancing up at her quickly before taking the instrument from her. She placed the mask over Jake's face and began to use the bag to pump oxygen into his mouth and nose.

Grabbing Jake's wrist, she placed her shaking fingers on it and began to count the thready beats.

Heather pressed herself back against the wall, her eyes locked on Jake's still form.

After a few more hour-like minutes, Jake finally took a breath.

"That's right, breathe," April said with a strained smile. "You've got a niece or nephew on the way, and this baby needs his uncle."

"A-April?"

"It's me," she confirmed, gazing down at him as she continued to pump the oxygen to his lungs. "What happened?" She looked at Emily.

"He said that he'd gotten shot," she hiccupped.

"Shot," she repeated, stunned. "In Rogue River?" Her voice raised a little. "Jake! Why didn't you say anything?"

"Wasn't...bad..."

April scoffed. "No, you just quit breathing. You're as bad as Dad, I swear." She shot a look in Heather's direction, then glanced back at Jake, then Emily. "Emily, you see how I'm doing this?"

She nodded.

"Count it. Five a minute. I'm going back to get paramedics so we can move him to the Med Center. Can you do this?"

She sniffed and took the bag from her. "Yeah, I can do it."

She touched her friend's shoulder momentarily and hurried out the door.

Heather shut her eyes.

"Heather," April called.

She slowly stepped out the door into the hall, her face drained of all color.

Once she was in the hallway, April folded her arms. "Jake's going to need surgery."

"I know," she murmured.

"Why you didn't say anything before?" Her voice was quiet.

Heather flinched, not quite meeting her eyes. "I know it was stupid. He asked...he asked me not to," she whispered.

April shook her head. "You're going to have to learn not to listen to Jake."

"I should find his parents...they should...be here..."

She nodded. "Tell them to meet us at the Med Center."

"Dr. Green--the med center...is it...sterile enough?"

"We have no other place to do this, Heather."

She swallowed hard. "I'll go find the Mayor." She slipped past April and headed out of her house once more, dread knotting her stomach.

Running a hand down her face, April followed Heather out the door, pulling out the walkie talkie she'd taken with her. "We need the paramedics at the Lisinski residence, stat."

* * *

Not aware of the bloodstains on her clothes, Heather reached up and knocked loudly on the front door of the Green's house, her heart thudding quickly in her chest.

Gail answered quickly, a smile on her face until she saw the bloodstains. "Heather, what happened?" Her voice raised in panic.

"Jake...it's...it's bad. April's taking him to the med center. You have to go now!"

Gail's face paled. "Oh God...Johnston!"

"Gail? What is it?" He came down the stairs, looking a lot better but still moving a little more slowly than usual.

"It's Jake. Heather says it's bad," her voice began to crack.

"What happened?" He moved to her side, staring wide-eyed at Heather.

"He was shot in Rogue River," she whispered. "April says they have to operate. They're taking him to the Med Center."

Gail put a hand over her mouth. "They can't take him there."

"There's no other place," Johnston said grimly, grabbing his hat and keys from the table. "Come on."

"No, no...April said..." Tears came to her eyes. "Johnston...they ran out of sterilizing material weeks ago. That place isn't safe."

"I know." His voice was quiet. "But neither is any place else. They have power there. It's the best we can do."

"They only have power for six hours."

"I can siphon the gas from my truck. It's almost full," Heather spoke up, swallowing hard. "Other than today I've been walking everywhere. There's enough to last at least two more hours, maybe a little longer."

"Johnston..."

"Gail, he'll make it," he said firmly, not looking at Heather. "Let's go. April's already on her way."

"Okay," she said quietly, clutching her husband as he led her out the door.

Tears stung Heather's eyes as she headed once more for her truck, her hands trembling as she climbed into the driver's seat, following the Green's to the Med Center.

* * *

As the Greens and Heather arrived at the med center, they arrived at the same time as April and the paramedics with Jake on a stretcher between them.

"Oh, Sweetheart. Oh, Jake." Gail walked alongside her son as they carried him into the Med Center.

"Gail, we need to get him into surgery now."

Her eyes were watery as she looked at her daughter-in-law. "You take care of him."

"I will," she promised. And she hoped she could keep that promise.

Heather trailed in behind everyone else, her eyes haunted. "Emily...Emily...how is he?" she whispered.

"It's not good," she said quietly. "We almost lost him again."

"This is all my fault," she said almost inaudibly.

"No...Heather...You just did what you thought was right." Emily wiped her eyes and pulled Heather into a hug.

She shuddered, burying her face against her friend's shoulder. "I shouldn't have listened to him."

"No, but...you couldn't have known."

"Emily, he was shot and I knew it and I didn't insist on getting him a doctor until...it may be too late."

She shook her head. "Jake's strong."

"There was so much blood," she whispered.

Emily nodded silently, tightening her hold on Heather.

She shut her eyes tightly and held onto her friend, praying that Jake was strong enough to survive the next few hours.

* * *

Heather sat on the cold tile floor, her eyes fixed blankly on the wall ahead of her. She didn't even hear someone say "Miss Lisinski" until the third time she'd said it. Blinking slowly, she turned her head to look up at Bonnie Richmond.

Bonnie waved slightly when she got Heather's attention. "We just heard."

She tried to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. She nodded slightly, dropping her gaze once more.

She leaned down beside Heather. "Are you okay?"

Heather drew in a breath and turned so Bonnie could see her lips. "I'm just worried about Jake."

She nodded. "We all are."

"You think he'll be okay?"

"Jake never gives up, I think he will be."

She smiled a little at that and looked up as the lights flickered. "Oh God."

Bonnie's head shot up to look at the lights. "The generator's supposed to go off."

"It can't! Not now!" She quickly got to her feet, her heart racing.

Looking down at her watch, Bonnie shook her head. "It's time."

"No, there has to be gas somewhere else in this town. There *has* to be." Heather headed for the exit.

"Miss Lisinski! It doesn't work that way."

She ignored her and jogged down the hall. There had to be something she could do.

Stanley saw Heather running out the door and quickly followed her. "Heather!"

She didn't stop, couldn't stop. Not when Jake's life was on the line because of her.

Stanley easily caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Heather, stop."

A tear trickled down her cheek. "Let me go."

"It's a scheduled thing," his voice became husky. "There's nothing we can do to keep it on."

"Jake's in surgery, Stanley!"

"Jesus," he whispered, running a hand down his face. "Okay. Lets get to the generator."

Nodding, she led the way to it. "I think I can override the automation."

"I don't think it's automatic..." He said, trailing off.

"What do you mean? You said it was scheduled."

"Yeah. It is. But there are people that come by to shut it down."

"Then all we have to do is stop them," she said with determination.

"I don't know if it's going to be that easy," he said grimly.

She lifted her chin. "Are you gonna help me or not?"

"I am!" He said, hurt that she would imply that he wouldn't help.

Heather offered him a faint, tense smile and headed around the building to where the generator was kept. Swallowing hard, she moved to stand in front of it.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"One of the doctors is performing a critical surgery," she said, not moving.

The man frowned. "Which doctor?"

"Dr. April Green," Heather answered, glancing sideways at Stanley, who now stood to her left.

He sighed. "Look, I don't know how long I can keep this thing on--"

"There's enough gas to keep it running for at least two more hours," she said quickly. "I know because I siphoned the gas out of my truck to keep it going."

He bit his lip. "Okay. But after that...it *has* to be shut off."

She nodded in agreement, swallowing hard. "I understand."

"Who is it that Dr. Green's operating on?" He asked tentatively.

"Mayor Green's son. Jake," Stanley answered, hesitantly putting his arm around Heather's shoulders.

"God," the man murmured. "Go and be with Jake. I'll keep this on as long as I can."

Heather hesitated.

"It's okay. Brad's a friend. I trust him," he said quietly. "Come on, let's go back in."

Nodding slightly and looking at Brad with tired eyes, she slowly followed Stanley back into the Med Center to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

An hour and a half after Heather and Stanley had talked to the man running the generator, April reappeared looking haggard. "Jake's alive. He made it through surgery."

"How is he?" Heather's voice was faint.

She sighed. "Honestly...not so good."

She shut her eyes, leaning against the wall.

"Everyone's going to have to take shifts, sit with him, make sure he's breathing alright..." Tears stung her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "The next twenty four hours will be critical for him."

"I'll take the first shift," Stanley said quietly.

She nodded. "Alright."

He turned to look at Emily, and then back at Heather. "Get some rest," he said before slowly heading into the room.

After he left, April sat down beside the other two and put her head in her hands.

Wordlessly Emily reached out and rested a hand on April's shoulder, her eyes dark with worry.

"There was so much blood," she whispered.

Heather drew in a shuddering breath. "I'm gonna..." She motioned down the hallway, and without waiting for a response, headed away.

Emily gazed after her, biting her lower lip. "April...what are his chances?"

"I can't say," she said quietly.

"Because you don't know or because you're afraid to say it?" Emily asked just as quietly.

She sniffed. "I'm afraid to say."

Swallowing hard, she pressed her back against the wall. "Jake...what the hell were you thinking?" she whispered.

* * *

Heather hesitantly lingered in the doorway of Jake's hospital room, her gaze resting on his still figure in the bed. Beside him, Emily sat holding one of his hands, and working the ambu bag with the other. She remained silent, absolutely still, afraid to move.

Wiping her eyes, Emily shook her head. "Jake, it's time to wake up," she whispered.

Heather shut her eyes tightly against her friend's whispered words.

"You can't leave us...the town needs you. Everyone needs you. So come on," she gave the bag another squeeze. "Come back to us."

"Em," Heather's voice was shaky.

Emily jumped slightly and turned a little. "Heather."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to...you've been in here for hours."

"You ah...is it your turn?"

She swallowed hard. "I just...I thought you might need a break. If you'd rather stay, that's fine."

"No...no. Here," she stood up, offering her the bag. "April told me to squeeze this about five times every fifteen seconds."

Drawing in a ragged breath, Heather slowly moved toward the bed.

"He hasn't...he's been so still," Emily shook her head.

She took the bag from Emily, not able to look at her friend. "But he'll be okay, right?"

"I hope so," she said quietly.

"Are you...gonna stay here tonight? At the med center?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna go wait with Jake's parents."

"Okay," she whispered, staring down at Jake's pale face. She hadn't been able to face the Green's since they'd all arrived at the hospital hours ago. Instead, she'd been sitting either in a nearby hallway or outside in front of the med center.

"I'll come back later," she said quietly, backing out the door.

Heather nodded once, then slowly sat down in the chair Emily had vacated.

As Emily made her way to the waiting room, she looked up toward the ceiling. "Bring Jake back...for Heather."


	7. Chapter 7

Heather squeezed the ambu bag, watching the rise and fall of Jake's chest as it helped him breathe. She'd sat there in silence for nearly three hours. Twice, Emily had come back to check on her, to check on Jake, and had left quietly. It was sometime after Midnight now, and except for the faint moonlight shining through the curtains, the room was dark.

"So I'm not very good at this whole nurse thing," she murmured. "I think I should stick to teaching. And...a life of solitude. I shouldn't have listened to you when you asked me to cover for you. I don't know why I did."

She looked away. "Not one of my smarter moments. It's weird," she whispered. "I trust you in ways I...don't trust other people. You said you'd be fine and I believed you."

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

"My life changed the day you showed up in Jericho. I was in this...I don't know...this dark place. All I did was work and go home. Ask Emily sometime. She used to bug me about going out with her to Bailey's or even to drive with her to Wichita, but..."

Heather shook her head a little. "I was afraid to let myself get attached to anyone. And then you climbed on the bus that night and saved Stacey's life and I haven't been able to think clearly when it came to you since then. I shouldn't have let it get this far, Jake. I'm sorry," she whispered, gently brushing some hair off his forehead as she squeezed the bag.

***

He was back in Iraq. That was about the only thing Jake Green was really aware of. Looking around, he realized after a few minutes that he recognized the scene he was in. "No...God, not again."

He closed his eyes, willing it all to go away. When they opened again, a little girl was standing in front of him. "Jesus," he backed away. "Get away from me. Y-you're dead."

The little girl inched closer to him, her hands stretching out to him. "Save me, Mister."

"No. I can't--couldn't. You...I killed you..." Panic laced his voice as he continued to back away from her.

The little girl scowled. "Then you don't deserve to live," suddenly, a knife appeared in her hands. Before he could react, fiery pain erupted in him. When he looked down, the knife was sticking out of his gut. Gripping his stomach, he fell to his knees and stared up at the girl. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

* * *

The sudden gasp made Heather look down in time to see Jake's body jerk violently on the bed. "Jake!" She looked toward the door, panicked. "April!"

April appeared a second later, slightly out of breath. "What happened?" She asked, moving toward his thrashing body.

"I don't know, one minute he was fine and then--he just--he started convulsing!"

"Come on Jake, don't do this," she murmured, grasping his head so that he wouldn't rip out the tube in his mouth. "Heather, keep breathing for him."

Tears prickled at her eyes as she continued to pump the bag, forcing air into his lungs.

A few minutes after the convulsions started, the abruptly ended. April let out a breath and let go of him, getting out her stethoscope and pressing it to his chest. "His heart rate's up. Dammit."

"What's going on? What's wrong with him?" Heather asked, her voice cracking.

"His body's stressed," she said worriedly. "His temperature being up probably isn't helping him any."

"Do we need ice?" She looked at April, her heart thudding heavily against her chest.

She shook her head. "I don't know if that'd help any."

"But we can do something, right?"

"Talk to him. And I'll see if we have any stronger anti-biotics."

"April, maybe you should...get Emily." She swallowed hard.

April shook her head and headed toward the door. "Stay with him. I'll be back."

Heather slowly looked back at Jake, hesitantly reaching out and touching his face. "Just hold on, Jake. Please."

Chapter Eight

Two days after the seizure incident, Jake Green finally opened his eyes for the first time since arriving at the med center.

Heather was sitting beside him once more, curled up in the chair. He'd been breathing on his own for the last 12 hours, so she was just there to make sure that he continued doing so. She didn't even notice he'd opened his eyes, her own gaze fixed on his hand.

Licking his dry, cracked lips, Jake tried his voice. "Heather," it came out sounding barely like a whisper.

She lifted her head, blinking at the faint whisper. "Jake?"

"Hey," he whispered.

She quickly rose to her feet, nearly tripping in her effort to stand.

His eyes widened as she wavered. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...clumsy. My foot's asleep. Don't try to talk." She moved toward the door.

He frowned. "What--"

"April! He's awake!"

April came rushing in and over to Jake's side. "Thank God." She began checking his bandages.

Heather lingered toward the back of the room as Gail and Johnston Green rushed in, followed by Emily and Stanley.

Despite all the people crowding around him, Jake's gaze stayed on Heather, ignoring everyone else as the tried to talk to him.

"Oh, Sweetheart, thank God you're awake," Gail whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

He shook his head. "I'm fine...Mom."

"You Green men are so stubborn," she grumbled, glancing at Johnston.

A weak smile appeared on his face. "Sorry."

"We're just glad you're awake, Son," Johnston said gruffly.

"Mm..." He nodded, closing his eyes again.

"Hey, you," Emily whispered, reaching out and laying a hand on his arm.

Cracking his eyes open, he looked at Emily. "Hey."

"Gave us all quite a scare," she said gently, her eyes filled with warmth.

"Didn't mean to," he whispered.

"Yeah, well you've always been a little on the dramatic side." Stanley grinned brightly at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah...nice to see...you too."

His grin widened a little more. "Welcome back."

Shaking his head slightly, his eyes moved back to the door where Heather was.

She gave him a smile, her eyes watery.

"Hey guys..." Jake glanced back at everyone surrounding him. "Can I...just have...a minute with...Heather?"

"Sure," Emily said softly, leaning down and kissing his forehead before heading to the door. She touched Heather's arm lightly on her way out, offering her a smile.

Once everyone had left, Jake motioned for Heather to come closer to him.

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, pushing herself away from the wall and moving toward him.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"I didn't do anything."

"You saved my life."

"Hardly," she said quietly, looking at the floor.

He shook his head. "You did."

"April saved your life."

"You got me here."

She fell silent.

"Don't you dare...blame yourself."

"Don't worry about me," she said quietly. "Just focus on getting well."

"Have to worry about you."

"No. You don't. I know you think you're responsible for everyone in this town, but you're not, Jake."

"Don't care."

"Rest," she said quietly.

"Heather-"

"Jake, we'll talk later, all right? Right now, just...just rest," she whispered, hesitantly touching his face.

He leaned into her touch. "Stay here."

"If you promise to rest."

"I promise."

She slowly sat down in the chair beside his bed.

His eyes settled at half-mast. "You're pretty from this angle."

She tried to smile but didn't quite manage it. "Rest," she whispered, leaning back in the chair.

"'kay," his eyes slid the rest of the way shut.

Heather watched as he slowly drifted off to sleep once more, then released a shuddering breath. She rose to her feet slowly and headed out the door, arms wrapped around herself. She spotted Emily in the hall and looked at her but didn't meet her eyes. "Stay with him."

Emily frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just...I need to go home."

"You going to come back?"

Heather looked away. "I'll see you later," she said quietly, heading down the hall toward the exit.

Emily let out a long breath and walked into Jake's room, hoping that Heather would return soon.


	8. Chapter 8

"So I hear you're being sprung today." Emily leaned against the doorframe of Jake's hospital room, faint smile on her face, though her blue eyes were worried.

Jake grimaced as he sat up, wrapping an arm around his middle. "Yeah, you've heard right."

"Careful," she cautioned, stepping a little farther into the room.

"Heard from Heather?" He asked, ignoring her concern.

"I stopped by her house, but her truck wasn't there," she said quietly.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Has *anybody* heard from her?"

"Stanley said she's been working at the mine." She sat down in the chair by his bed. "Other than that..."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I'm gonna go find her."

"Jake--"

"Either help me, or stay here."

She sighed softly. "At least wait until April officially discharges you. Heather's not at her house right now anyway."

Jake shook his head and stood slowly. "Forget it."

"You are *not* going to that mine, Jake," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I am," he looked at her, bent slightly so that his stitches wouldn't pull.

Emily narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is that it?"

"Look, I'm fine. Someone else needs this bed a lot more than I do."

"Fine, leave the hospital. But for God sakes, stay away from that mine. It's a walking infection," she said, shaking her head. "And your body's been through enough."

He didn't acknowledge her last warning. Instead, he moved past her and slipped away from the hospital.

* * *

When Heather pulled into her driveway and stopped her truck, she spotted him sitting on her front porch, hunched over. She sat in the truck a moment longer, her hands resting on the steering wheel in indecision. Then she slowly climbed out and moved toward the house. Her clothes were covered in dirt and dust from the mine, a smudge of gunk on her cheek.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Jake...what are you doing here?" Her voice was just as quiet.

"Busted out."

"You should go back to the hospital."

"It'd be pointless."

"What do you mean?"

"April was letting me go today anyway."

"So what's the prognosis?" she asked hesitantly.

He took a breath. "Well, they're pretty sure I'm gonna live."

Heather shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking down at the ground.

"How come you didn't come back?"

She avoided his gaze as she slowly walked up the porch steps, fishing around in her jacket pocket for her keys.

He stood up and came up behind her. "Heather..."

She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to stay calm before she turned to face him. She swallowed hard at his nearness, at the way he gazed at her. "I'm glad you're gonna be okay."

"I'm okay right now."

"You'd probably be better if you were at home in bed resting. I sorta doubt April advised walking around town and visiting random people."

"Only..." he put a hand on her shoulder. "I only came to see you."

"Jake--"

"Heather, it wasn't your fault," he said, voice firm.

"I really need to get cleaned up. Did you walk here? I'll give you a ride home."

His hand slid from her shoulder. "I'll walk."

Heather bit her lip.

"I guess I'll see you," he put his head down and turned away, walking down the stairs.

She shut her eyes. "Jake."

He stopped. "What."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning and unlocking her front door.

He shook his head. "It wasn't your fault," his voice was drown out as she opened the door. "Just wish I could make you see that."

Heather stepped inside her house and shut the door quietly, leaning against it. She shut her eyes once more, and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor. "Goodbye," she whispered.


End file.
